Has the Paterson Administration just deprived itself of crucial leverage over the largest state employee unions during two challenging fiscal years ahead? It sure sounds that way, if the unions themselves are to be believed. Read More
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Governor Paterson is reportedly close to striking a deal with state employee labor unions under which the governor will drop his plan to layoff off over 7,000 state workers in exchange for the unions' acquiescence to (a) Read More
Today's Times features about the new charter school in Washington Heights, which will pay teachers $125,000 when it opens next fall. But six-figure teachers are not unprecedented in the Big Apple--or elsewhere in New York. New York City Read More
A year ago this week, Gov. David A. Paterson announced his support for a broad cap on school property taxes across New York - the key recommendation of a tax relief commission chaired by Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi. Read More
Last year, after Lehman Brothers collapsed, Mayor Bloomberg signed 4 percent annual raises for two years for the city's biggest civilian union, DC-37, even as it was obvious that such raises were unaffordable. The mayor is planning to repeat this fea Read More
City comptroller Bill Thompson -- who's also running for mayor -- released that termed the city's fiscal outlook "extremely sobering." The most sobering aspect is the extent to which New York has allowed its dependence on Wall Street to transform i Read More
New York state’s pension system lost 26 percent on its investments and shrunk by a net $45 billion in fiscal 2008-09, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli disclosed last week. Read More
Despite a crushing recession and a $45 billion drop in the state pension fund, Albany’s 2009 legislative hopper includes dozens of proposals to enhance the retirement benefits of New York State and local government employees. Read More